getting started, sorta

[SqDancerLynn1]

Those little black things -- id D977 Transistors are usually what goes bad

[kspencer]

RustyBronco, thanks - that makes more sense than the "pins" for which I've been looking.

SqDancerLynn1 - joy. If the igniter is bad, I'll decide whether it's better (cheaper and more timely) to pull the circuit board to my electronics station, or just get a new igniter. If...

Thank you, folks. I'll be testing tonight.

[kspencer]

Test results...

Again, thanks. I did the test. And it appears I either need to repair or replace an igniter.

I verified the wires were good (continuity test above the igniter). Signal generator's resistance is right. Coils have the right resistance at the the head, and the resistance from spark plug cap is around 50,000 - and there's a continuity through the spark plug wires.

So.. better to rebuild, or buy anew? I'm decent with a soldering iron and do some circuit board work on computers, so that doesn't scare me if folk recommend that way.

Looks like time to search the boards again.

[rustybronco]

50,000 ohms? should be 5,000 ohms resistance on the plug caps.
correct voltage at the coils?

don't condem that igniter just yet.

[kspencer]

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

50,000 for the cap to cap test (ie, full run through the coil). Caps themselves, removed from the wire, are showing 5,000.

I see that saddlewarmer was working on fixing igniters. I'll see if there's more in the forums tomorrow, all to see what I do tomorrow evening.

Wheee. (sigh)

[rustybronco]

The igniter case must be grounded! make sure there in very little resistance between the neg post of the battery and the igniter case.

the o/w (orange/white) wire from the igniter goes to the positive side of the coils.
should be at or near battery voltage at the same color wire at the coils.

the b/w (black/white?) is 12volt to the igniter. do you have battery voltage the wire?

the w (white) is the ground for the 1-4 coil
the b/y (black/yellow?) is the ground for the 2-3 coil

did your vom have a 1x scale, or did you use the diode function?
I believe you can use a 1.5 volt battery to do the test (don't quote me on this model---YET)

leave the plugs grounded, with every thing connected as it should be.
turn the key on, look at the plugs, turn the key off... did they spark?

[rustybronco]

Wheee. (sigh)

what is the sigh for? could be worse, my son backed into my '82 last night and knocked it on it side causing a bit of damage.
you just have to worry about voltage readings.... : - )

[kspencer]

heh - the sigh is for all the little stuff I see mounting before me. Though yeah, I could see the annoyance of dealing with a few dents and scratches (grin).

Plugs don't spark when the key goes on/off. I need to doublecheck the power to the igniter as I THINK I checked it but didn't write it down on my checkoff list.

(Yes, I get anal when doing circuit testing. Too long fixing too many computers and learning what my memory is like.)

As an aside, yes a 1.5 battery should work instead of the vom routine. Basically that's because most vom's push 1.5v through the pole to create the current for testing (you probably knew that).

After I check the power, I'm going to pull the board off the bike and take it to my electronics desk, and check all the components. While I'm at it, I'll make a little list and diagram and try to get that posted - probably in another thread - as a small contribution. Dunno if the igniter for an 81 GS850 will work for anyone else, but if so the board layout would let folk build their own igniters. At least, that's the plan - we'll see what happens when this plan meets reality.

Long term I'm probably going to pull and replace pretty much all the wiring - adding a couple of relays based on interesting OTHER threads, but definitely replacing the wires. 27 year old wire can have a few difficulties with which I'd rather NOT deal on the other end of a longish ride.

Kirk

[rustybronco]

After I check the power, I'm going to pull the board off the bike and take it to my electronics desk, and check all the components. While I'm at it, I'll make a little list and diagram and try to get that posted - probably in another thread - as a small contribution. Dunno if the igniter for an 81 GS850 will work for anyone else, but if so the board layout would let folk build their own igniters. At least, that's the plan - we'll see what happens when this plan meets reality.

That was something I was planning on doing in the near future. that might be a little more difficult with the '82 and up because of the electronic advance, but still do-able.

Long term I'm probably going to pull and replace pretty much all the wiring - adding a couple of relays based on interesting OTHER threads, but definitely replacing the wires. 27 year old wire can have a few difficulties with which I'd rather NOT deal on the other end of a longish ride. Kirk

If it's in good shape with no hacks done to it, WHY? just repair it...

[kspencer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kspencer
Long term I'm probably going to pull and replace pretty much all the wiring - adding a couple of relays based on interesting OTHER threads, but definitely replacing the wires. 27 year old wire can have a few difficulties with which I'd rather NOT deal on the other end of a longish ride.


If it's in good shape with no hacks done to it, WHY? just repair it...

I said long term. Repair is first. But long term, it's my experience with wires near hot objects. The heat causes the wrappings to get brittle. The vibration causes the brittle casings to crack. That leads to vapor getting in, which in turn leads to corrosion and eventual breaking. Since this bike sat unridden for at least 8 years, I may have plenty of life left. But as a rule, 30 years is about the limit of my trust for wires in this situation, and the bike is 27 years old.

Just call it personal idiosyncracies.

Kirk

[Zook]

NOPE!
That isn't what causes electronic components to break.
They stop working because you let out the smoke.
Keep the smoke inside and they work well for a long time.

[chef1366]

What have you been smokin ;-)

[kspencer]

Well, apparently someone let the smoke out before me.

I've traced all the lines this time. Lines from the battery are doing right. Other lines have continuity.

I also did a preliminary test on some of the transistors, and I've got a couple that may be bad. (May be, meaning I tested while on the board using just a multimeter.)

Next time I post I'll be doing another thread (unless someone needs or deserves a response here. ) Probably it'll be a circuit layout of this board for anyone who wants the info. Maybe it'll be an "I fixed it" report - depends on what parts I need.

Since I expect that to take some time, and I'd kind of like to get the motor turning over... while I'll be checking the parts forums and other locations, anyone have particular advice on where to get an igniter?